History Awaits Howry, Kelly

Oregon receiver Keenan Howry and USC receiver Kareem Kelly will probably make history together when No. 15 USC plays No. 14 Oregon today at Autzen Stadium.

Howry and Kelly, both seniors, have caught passes in 42 consecutive games in which they have played. So it is likely they will break the Pacific 10 Conference record they share with Dennis Northcutt, who played at Arizona from 1996-99.

Howry, who played at Los Alamitos High, has a reception in every game since being shut out in his college debut at Michigan State in 1998. Kelly, who played at Long Beach Poly, sat out against Arizona in 2000 because of an injury.

Both players also have a shot at breaking the NCAA record of 46 consecutive games with a reception set by Carl Winston of New Mexico in 1990-93.

Including today’s game, USC and Oregon have five regular-season games remaining.

Howry has caught 15 passes for 192 yards in three games against the Trojans. USC, however, is the only Pac-10 school on which Howry has not scored a touchdown.

Kelly has 12 receptions for 297 yards and one touchdown in three games against Oregon. He scored on a 93-yard pass play against the Ducks last season, but has no touchdowns against Stanford, Arizona State, Arizona and Oregon State.

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Oregon’s roster includes 55 players from California.

Troy Polamalu, USC’s All-American safety, is the only USC player who played high school football in Oregon. He attended Douglas High in Winston.

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The forecast is for mostly sunny skies and a high of 60 degrees.... As part of an $89.7-million project, seating capacity at Autzen Stadium increased from 41,698 to 54,000 since last season. Today’s game is expected to be the 22nd consecutive sellout.... USC leads, 33-15-2, in its series with Oregon, which dates to 1915. The Trojans, however, have lost four in a row and five of the last six.